Movie classics for the holidays

Updated 3:05 am, Sunday, December 16, 2012

Fred Astaire voices the mail carrier in the 1970 TV program "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" - a treasure of holiday sentiment and stop-motion animation.

Fred Astaire voices the mail carrier in the 1970 TV program "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" - a treasure of holiday sentiment and stop-motion animation.

Photo: Rankin/Bass Productions 1970

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Cary Grant is the angel Dudley and Loretta Young is Bishop Brougham's wife, Julia, in "The Bishop's Wife."

Cary Grant is the angel Dudley and Loretta Young is Bishop Brougham's wife, Julia, in "The Bishop's Wife."

Photo: RKO Pictures 1947

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"A Charlie Brown Christmas"

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Photo: Cbs 1965

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Humphrey Bogart (left) and Aldo Ray are escaped convicts at Christmastime in "We're No Angels."

Humphrey Bogart (left) and Aldo Ray are escaped convicts at Christmastime in "We're No Angels."

Photo: Paramount 1955

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On Christmas Eve, a burglar (Denis Leary, left) must take a bickering couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) hostage in the comedy "The Ref."

On Christmas Eve, a burglar (Denis Leary, left) must take a bickering couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) hostage in the comedy "The Ref."

Photo: Buena Vista Pictues 1994

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The prime minister (Hugh Grant) and his love interest (Martine McCutcheon) are caught off guard at a Christmas pageant in "Love Actually."

The prime minister (Hugh Grant) and his love interest (Martine McCutcheon) are caught off guard at a Christmas pageant in "Love Actually."

Photo: Ho, HO

Movie classics for the holidays

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Among the many perks of being an American: the right to at least one holiday classic during your childhood.

Other movie and television genres have less quality control. Decent horror movies, Westerns, animation and even science fiction have gone missing for entire decades. But since the 1940s, U.S. movie and television studios have consistently produced quality holiday entertainment.

Some of these treasures are polarizing. "It's a Wonderful Life" is either your all-time favorite Christmas film or your all-time most despised piece of cinema. And my definition of "holiday movie" is broad. I have written before, and will write again here, that "Die Hard" is my favorite holiday movie of all time.

But if you can be flexible with the definition, look past the relatively weak 1990s and accept the occasional R-rated movie, a strong argument can be made that each decade since the 1940s has at least three enduring classics.

Enclosed is my list of the best holiday movies, television specials and cartoons of all time, categorized by decade.

With a handful of exceptions - many involving Jim Henson's creations - these specials have been issued and reissued in every format you could want. "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" just released a 50th anniversary Blu-ray, and the Rankin Bass TV specials "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" and "Frosty the Snowman" were digitally remastered and packaged together this year.

It's too early to look at the 2010s, which haven't produced a surefire enduring film so far. ("An Arthur Christmas" and "Rise of the Guardians" are close.)

Let us know what we missed in the comments of the SFGate.com version of this story.

1940s

3. The Bishop's Wife (1947) Everyone was ready to start feeling good after the war, and the movies reflected it. This comedy-romance is relatively obscure compared with the other two on the list. David Niven is a work-obsessed bishop, and Cary Grant is the charming angel who fixes a town's problems.

2. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) We just lost 50 percent of our readership, who consider this Frank Capra film the best holiday movie of all time. (The other half are suddenly hopeful that "Bad Santa" might get a mention in the 2000s.) James Stewart goes all in, and it's hard to resist the life-affirming ending.

1. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) The most honored holiday movie (three Academy Awards!), and rightfully so. Edmund Gwenn is splendid as Kris Kringle, and George Seaton's screenplay is perfectly paced. It even works as a courtroom drama. A deserving classic.

1950s

3. White Christmas (1954) Coincidences pile up on musical numbers which pile up on misunderstandings. But Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye look and sound wonderful as two war buddies turned music partners looking for love.

2. We're No Angels (1955) Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov are Devil's Island escapees who rob a family, then play Santa Claus. There are darker elements here that serve as a precursor for some of the classics of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000.

1. Scrooge (1951) Your favorite version of "A Christmas Carol" is usually based on when you were born. But it's hard to argue with Alastair Sim as the most memorable TV or movie Scrooge ever. (Sorry, George C. Scott and Scrooge McDuck!)

1960s

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) The combined genius of Dr. Seuss, Chuck Jones, Boris Karloff and composer Albert Hague gave this Seuss story a heart three sizes bigger than the competition. This beloved film deserves better than third place, but this was a fantastic decade for Christmas movies.

2. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) The first Rankin Bass TV special was arguably the best, taking the plot from the "Rudolph" song and adding fantastic touches such as Hermey the wannabe dentist elf and the Land of Misfit Toys.

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) This wonderful TV special captured the humor and melancholy of Charles Schulz perfectly. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" single-handedly made the ugliest Christmas tree on the lot endearing.

1970s

3. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) The star power was particularly huge in this stop-motion animated TV program, with Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney as Santa Claus. (It was nearly ruined by a 2011 Justin Bieber cover of the song, with a video using characters from the special.)

2. The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) By the mid-1970s, Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass had become pros on the technical side. Their love for random creative touches seemed to go into overdrive, with Mrs. Claus entering political negotiations with the Heat Miser and Snow Miser to save Christmas.

1. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) Rarely screened these days, and it's hard to find a version with all 54 minutes intact. This story of Emmet and his musical mama is Jim Henson's most charming work - it's a shame it's not in wider circulation. You can see it Saturday at the Castro Theatre.

1980s

3. A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) Another victim of musical right issues. One of Jim Henson's last big productions was "The Last Waltz" of TV specials, combining characters from "The Muppet Show," "Sesame Street" and "Fraggle Rock."

2. A Christmas Story (1983) Try to get through December without quoting this movie. Not sure I'll even make it through this paragraph. Jean Shepherd's book was transformed into a Christmas feature that crossed generations like no other. ("Fra-geel-aye")

1. Die Hard (1988) Yes, that "Die Hard." What holiday classic does this critic watch every Christmas Eve? It's not "Miracle on 34th Street." Nothing brings in the yuletide spirit like John McClane saving his wife and gunning down terrorists. "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho."

1990s

3. Home Alone (1990) I could do without all the pratfalls and violence. And after "Home Alone 2," those parents really needed to get a visit from child protective services. But Macauley Culkin's performance and the Old Man Marley scenes ensure the film's legacy.

2. A Christmas Carol (1999) We've adopted this theatrical yet mainstream-friendly version mostly because Patrick "Capt. Picard" Stewart aces the lead, and McNulty from "The Wire" also has a pretty big role. Until William Shatner plays Scrooge, this is the must-see Trekkie "Christmas Carol."

1. The Ref (1993) Really the only 1990s holiday movie worthy of "classic" status (it was the weakest decade), "The Ref" is arguably the most underrated holiday movie of the past half century. Denis Leary is excellent as a thief-turned-marriage counselor to Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey.

2000s

3. Disney Prep & Landing (2009) The animated "Prep & Landing" was a wonderful surprise when it showed up on ABC. Christmas elves act as a Navy SEAL-like team, and misfit elf Wayne (Dave Foley) attempts to save the day.

2. Love Actually (2003) Like "Short Cuts" with mistletoe, "Love Actually" follows eight stories to varying degrees of completion. It's starkly manipulative, but that approach sometimes works around the holidays. And an ensemble for the ages sells the material.

1. Elf (2003) Another very polarizing film, it has the heart and comedic moments to endure. Jon Favreau has a nice mainstream touch, Will Ferrell is funny and sweet, and the final scenes have a rousing "E.T." vibe. People will still be watching this in 50 years.

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